TAHLEQUAH – The ball did not fall Northeastern State's way at home on Tuesday where they fell 11-8 to Central Oklahoma at Rousey Field.

The RiverHawks pulled out all the stops to halt a now eight game skid using starters Zach Parish and Hunter Neal to try to pick up a series win over the Bronchos. 

However, a potential game tying three run homer in the sixth by Chad Reibenspies that was called foul summed up the afternoon for the RiverHawks.

"There are opportunities out there to make a difference in the ballgame," said head coach Jake Hendrick.  "We are just not doing enough of those right now to get on the right side of where we want to be."

The RiverHawks battled out of a two run deficit in the second inning with Dakota Morse hitting a solo shot to start the frame.  Butch Rea later tied the game with a RBI double, and Dakota Woods singled up the middle to plate two go-ahead runs.

Central Oklahoma (23-17-1, 14-16 MIAA) grabbed a run in the third on a solo homer but it was back-to-back three runs innings in the fourth and fifth that put them ahead 9-4.

Northeastern State plated a run on a Morse sac fly in the bottom half of the fifth before they loaded the bases with no outs in the sixth.  A wild pitch scored the RiverHawks sixth run with Reibenspies at the plate who would clear the fence to right field but it would be called foul, and he would strike out instead.  The RiverHawks did plate their seventh run on a balk to make it a 9-7 ballgame.

An inning later, NSU got within a run, scoring on a UCO error.  However, the Bronchos got two insurance runs in the eighth with a home run. 

Hits were even at 11 each with Woods going 2-for-5 with a pair of RBI, Rea's double in the second pushed his hitting streak to 25 games.

Parish (4-4) who started the game went four innings, with four strikeouts; Neal went four, with James Cowell tossing a clean ninth.

Weather permitting, Northeastern State (19-22, 13-17 MIAA) will host Lindenwood on Friday to open a three game series.